Food craving is associated with multiple weight loss attempts

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between food craving and lifetime number of weight-loss attempts, as a proxy index of difficulties in weight-loss maintenance. The participants were 100 adult out-patients with BMI ≥ 25 admitted at three medical centers for the treatment of obesity and excess weight in Rome (Italy). The patients were administered the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire, trait version (FCQ-T). The patients with five or more weight loss episodes (compared to those with four treatments or less) differed in all the dimensions of the FCQ-T. Food craving is associated with more difficulties in weight-loss maintenance after weight-loss interventions.